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T
ALONG WITH TWENTY FUTURISTS, SPRINGWISE PRESENTS A
SNAPSHOT OF WHAT WE MIGHT SEE IN COMING DECADES.
To celebrate two decades spent in the dreams nor surveyed our livers. Instead, we
service of showcasing sustainable consulted twenty leading futurologists with
innovation, the Springwise team has put unparalleled experience in forecasting. The
twenty pivotal questions to global experts resulting insight is both fascinating and
for a snapshot of 2043. important. You may not agree with all our
The questions range from the metaverse experts, and that’s to be encouraged. I
and autonomous transport to decentralised found myself bristling at a future that might
renewable energy. They seem resolutely include divorce lawyers arguing over assets
futuristic. But strangely in future casting, we in the Metaverse, and I was understandably
are following a long tradition. The social sensitive about a future workplace that may
theorist Barbara Adam reminds us that replace me with a robot. But the future is a
future-gazing (or the art of prophecy) provocative place. It is a rich, complex
originated some 5000 years ago in terrain that is ignored at our peril.
Mesopotamia, likely in the form of dream Often the flux and the enormity of the
interpretations. Later methods included climate crisis seem insurmountable. But as
Hepatoscopy, the inspection of the liver to the great climate policy broker, Christiana
understand what might come next. Figueres has put it, we’re at a crossroads
However, rest assured, for this special and we can either shrink from that
report at Springwise we neither mined our responsibility and maintain the biosphere-
Will we be healthier?
Will there be another pandemic?
1 6 HE A LTH Could children born in 2043 live forever?
‘‘
although consciousness and spirituality might take a while longer.
Already, DeepMind’s ‘Generalist AI Agent’ is capable of
outperforming its human equivalent in over 65 per cent of the 600
tasks it can perform in parallel. Combine AGI/ASI with robotics and
the scope is almost unimaginable – and very frightening for those
who haven’t been paying attention.
Even those of us who think we can never be replaced by AI are
often shocked by just how capable the technology is becoming
and how quickly it is eating away at our domains of expertise.
Within 20 years it is highly conceivable that many organisations will
have been hollowed out – shedding 70, 80, or even 90 per cent of
their workforce.
The remaining roles might be those requiring deep creativity, AI and robotics
expertise, and regulatory understanding. We are also likely to will usher in
preserve those activities where people skills are still essential,
such as handholding customers through the resolution of complex a second
multi-dimensional issues, relationship development, partnership Renaissance
building, and collaborative cross-organisational working.
While the technology will become increasingly functional, the
question will be how far we will go in its deployment. Organisations
committing to maintain a certain level of human jobs may find their
commitment challenged when others go deeper and faster in their
tech-for-human replacement process. It may be hard to compete in
the face of faster, more efficient, and lower cost entities.
Anders Sörman-
Nilsson, Australia
JOB TITLES OF
THE FUTURE
REAL-TIME
COLLABORATOR
Imagine a world where
you can ‘teleport’ to
another person’s office and
collaborate on a project in
real-time. The job of a real-
time collaborator will be to
ensure the collaboration
happens effectively and
provide the necessary
2. WHICH NEW JOBS WILL THE tools to make it happen.
METAVERSE OPEN UP? EXPERT FINDER
“
Imagine being able to
search for and find the best
experts on a given topic
If a picture says a thousand words and video says a thousand without ever leaving your
pictures, just imagine how many immersive videos the metaverse office. Or imagine being
can curate for your mind. It will create an entirely new form of able to find the perfect
job or employee without
digital nutrition mix – for good and bad. ever having to go through
Just as the social dilemma and addictive power of social media a recruiter. That’s exactly
has become evident in the last few years, it is easy to imagine how what an expert finder will
do for you.
an immersive world that blurs the boundary between the real and
the virtual may play some serious mind tricks on us mere mortals. METAVERSE ATTACK
We may grow to think of the metaverse as a tech equivalent to AGENT
psychedelic trips, which have both potent healing powers, but also Providing for safety and
need to be administered carefully and under supervision. security will be crucial in
Metaverse Detox Clinics and Rehab Centres will mushroom as the how comfortable living and
working in the metaverse
addictive and immersive (potential) toxicity of the metaverse will be. In the complex
becomes clear. world of the metaverse, the
Beyond psychology, the metaverse will open up a kaleidoscope attack agent will ensure
that customers’ data and
of opportunities for lawyers (including divorce lawyers who have
profiles are safeguarded.
new digital assets to figure out), virtual real estate agents,
metaverse education content specialists, truth auditors, and Manish Bahl
metaverse ethicists. These professions will all flourish, as will
real-life designers and integrators who help people straddle the
two worlds of the analogue and digital verses.
“ As someone who started working in the late 80s, I’m blown away
by how different workplaces are now. Startup culture has a lot to
answer for, but so does Gen-X and its laid-back, casual Friday, no
consequences, management style.
I sense that Gen-Z bosses might actually double down on mid-
20th-century-style corporate management practice as they seek
out a more stable, rules-based, and process-oriented work culture.
They will train people, educate people, and support people.
This could make it harder to ‘fail upwards’ as well-qualified, and
more diverse candidates are in the pool and have a more
equitable chance of getting hired. The ‘old boys network’ and TOMORROW’S
‘culture fit’ codes might die on the vine. INNOVATIONS,
The mechanics of running a business today are helpfully TODAY
streamlined by technology, but human resources will hopefully
return focus to humans and resources. Unlike the past (and AI TRAINING
present), real committment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
PLATFORM HELPS
BUSINESSES
must become a cornerstone of management practice. PREDICT FUTURE
Remote, flexible, or hybrid work is probably going to remain the SKILL GAPS
norm, but onboarding and training new hires would be done in a Retrain.ai is able to
way that builds connection within a common space – whether map the knowledge,
personal attributes, and
that’s online co-working or a physical office. Organisations will
qualifications currently
want to invest in talent, retain good hires, and support them in available to a company.
long-term employment by paying good wages and offering
benefits. RESTAURANT CHAIN
TRIALS ROBOT
Susan Cox-Smith, Partner and Director, Experience, Changeist WAITERS FOR TABLE
SERVICE
The smart robots (pictured,
above) deliver food to
tables and provide on-
demand services to diners.
DIGITAL EMPLOYEES
COULD TRANSFORM
FINANCIAL
SERVICES
From explaining complex
financial concepts to
encouraging more
responsible spending
decisions.
WORLD’S LARGEST
VERTICAL MYCELIUM
FARM PRODUCES
ALTERNATIVE BACON
The site is expected to
grow three million pounds
of mycelium each year.
UPCYCLING BARLEY
BYPRODUCTS INTO
HIGH-PROTEIN FLOUR
A Korean company has
created a new flour
alternative using barley
from beer production.
‘‘
‘‘
“
Unfortunately, I predict the world will be less healthy in
developed nations, as we aren’t addressing primary prevention.
The budget for treating an escalating number of increasingly sick
people won’t be there, and the drivers for non-communicable
diseases (which include a lack of active transport, diets comprising
ultra-processed foods, and poor air quality) are sustained.
But there are things we can do. Low-carbon living, for example, is
good for our health and also for the planet. Thus, active transport
(walking and cycling, rather than relying on motorised power)
results in better health, cleaner air, and a reduction in climate
‘‘
Low-carbon living is
good for our health
and the planet.
“
“
In theory, our biological structure has a limit of around 120-130
years, if everything is in line with our metabolic/molecular makeup
and we have all the good environmental conditions. Therefore
even with a healthy amount of luck, reaching that age is
challenging. However, with better access to care, with engaging
patients in their health journey through their own data, and with TOMORROW’S
artificial intelligence improving healthcare efficiency, more people
INNOVATIONS,
will have the opportunity to reach that milestone.
By 2043 we may have eliminated – or at least minimised the TODAY
risks associated with some of today’s most devastating diseases,
HOLOGRAM PATIENTS
including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, HIV, Type-2 diabetes, and a HELP TO TRAIN
range of cancer types. And, as precision medicine, personalised DOCTORS
solutions, and digital health technologies gradually become The technology (pictured,
available to the masses, we would have enough data to make above) can be used
better decisions in research, to put drug targets with a higher remotely, making it easier to
reach more students.
success potential into clinical trials and, in general, provide better
care for patients in their journeys. The overall goal would be LAB-GROWN BREAST
making a diagnosis of cancer or another major condition a bump in MILK COULD REPLACE
life instead of being a roadblock to a healthy and long life. FORMULA
A startup has begun
Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Founder, The Medical Futurist producing breast milk
made from cell cultures as
an alternative to formula
for those struggling to
breastfeed.
WOUND DRESSINGS
DELIVER MEDICATION
ON DEMAND
The material responds to
the presence of bacterial
enzymes by releasing
a cargo of therapeutic
nanoparticles.
“
FOR GOOD CAUSES
The blockchain and
smart contract-powered
While much of the noise around crypto in 2022 was not much marketplace is designed to
let charities and non-profits
more than a fad at best, and a scam at its worst, the underlying benefit from the emergence
technology is here to stay. of Web 3.0.
In 2043, crypto will make sense for solving non-common goods
problems. I expect we will see a few dominant chains, each A NEOBANK
responsible for managing different sets of ‘community specific’ TACKLING CLIMATE
CHANGE
information. On that point, I hope we’ll have moved to the
The female-led social impact
terminology of ‘community specific’ rather than ‘decentralised’,
company aims to be the
because chains are a single central store of a specific form of biggest sustainable bank in
community-consensus defined ‘truth’. Europe.
The less positive side of crypto will be how it will have been
USING OPEN BANKING
adopted by governments to launder ‘immutable truth’ out of the
TO CREATE A LOYALTY
many white and not so white lies that comprise society. Central PROGRAMME FOR
bank digital currencies (some of which are already in development) THE PLANET
which are programmable, expirable and linked to social credit/ The company combines
citizenship score, are just one such example. sustainability data from
brands with information on
customer transactions –
Bronwyn Williams, Partner at Flux Trends rewarding environmentally
conscious choices.
‘‘
“
It will be easier for developing countries to leapfrog to
renewable energy than for developed countries. Indeed, the
profitability of existing energy infrastructures, the weight of energy
lobbies, and the high needs of a heavy industrial system make it
difficult for industrialised countries to move from a centralised
energy system based on fossil fuels to a decentralised and
demultiplied system based on renewable energy.
Thus, in 2043, we could have two very different energy systems.
In the developed countries, a new energy transition would be
underway, with the definitive disappearance of fossil fuels, the
dismantling of non-eco-friendly renewable energy infrastructures,
such as offshore wind turbines, the generalisation of solar energy
and heat pumps for domestic needs, and the beginnings of fusion
for industrial use. Smart grid networks will be the norm, to
efficiently distribute energy and allow positive-energy systems to
‘‘
In 2043, the
developed and
developing worlds
could have two
very different
energy systems.
contribute to this distribution.
In developing countries, solar and decentralised power systems
will become dominant once the unsustainability of wind turbines
and osmotic energy is proven. Storage systems like the Powerwall
will spread as prices fall.
➵
27 FUTURE 2043 © SPRINGWISE 2023
ENERGY
RESEARCHERS
TEST SPACE
POWER STATION
TECHNOLOGIES
Orbiting solar panels could
produce continuous power
by avoiding any darkness.
“
An online tool slashes the
time it takes to identify
children who need additional
help when learning to read.
While schooling today focuses on ‘giving’ a limited set of
knowledge to learners, education in 2043 will inspire learners to SCHOOLS ON WHEELS
be agents of their own learning. The current system is also FOR REMOTE AREAS
IN UZBEKISTAN
obsessed with results and the ‘just in case’ model; in 2043, there
The preschools are housed
will be a full embrace of the ‘just in time’ model where learning will in brightly painted buses
be about real-time needs. that travel to remote villages,
The progress of automation and artificial intelligence will enable bringing early education
people to develop the skills that makes them different from to children who would
otherwise have no access
technology. Skills such as empathy, critical thinking, to it.
communication, and moral awareness. In a world where
technology takes care of many tasks, the skills that are unique to MOBILE-FIRST
humanity will become more and more valuable. EDUCATION
PLATFORM LAUNCHES
There will also be more of a need for learners to be self- IN PAKISTAN
motivated and agile. It’s predicted that technological progress will
The gamified learning
continue to increase at speed, so our children will need to know experience (pictured, above)
how to keep up with changes. Survival in the coming decades will is personalised and covers
depend on a person’s ability to learn, un-learn, and re-learn. material from K-12.
“
Currently, the economics of delivery don’t support same-day or
same-hour propositions. The costs are simply too great. However,
advancements in autonomous (driverless) technology,
electrification, and drone delivery will allow most brands to
provide delivery within hours on most stocked items. Indeed, it will
likely be table stakes by 2043.
However, I also believe that our environmental crisis will also
escalate over the next 20 years to the extent that governments
may place some level of restrictions or thresholds on what can or
cannot be delivered with this sort of speed and convenience. So,
will you be able to get a ballpoint pen delivered in 10 minutes?
Perhaps not. But your weekly grocery order may be almost TOMORROW’S
instantly despatched. INNOVATIONS,
TODAY
Doug Stephens, Founder, Retail Prophet
SELF-DRIVING
“
DELIVERY ROBOTS
A major autonomous delivery
robot company has raised
The continued rise of digitalisation, 6G networks, IoT, and AI will new funding as investors bet
bring us many new possibilities for virtual shopping – including that the future of delivery is
deliveries. As AI algorithms get smarter and faster, quantum robotic (pictured, above).
computing evolves, and more data is collected on us, it’s possible
we arrive at a situation where companies know our needs before
EDIBLE FOOD
PACKAGING MADE
we do, and can provide us with the approriate goods before we FROM KELP REPLACES
even think about placing an order. A system that tracks your SINGLE USE PLASTICS
personal immune health as well as seasonal sickness trends in The compostable materials
your local area could see a drone despatched to your door to are created from sustainably-
bring you flu medicine before your first sneeze. sourced farmed seaweed.
A PLUGIN LETS
Elina Hiltunen, Futurist CUSTOMERS
SELL BACK THEIR
OLD CLOTHES IN
EXCHANGE FOR REAL-
TIME CREDIT
The technology can be
integrated into retailer apps
and websites.
“ Fewer and fewer places on earth will feel truly like we are
exploring foreign cultures. Everything will feel even more familiar.
The result? An emergence of de-globalised, truly authentic
experiences that will try to rescue some of the adventure. The
value of authenticity will increase.
The drive towards sustainability, artificial intelligence, and virtual
access to our work will only enhance this trend. We will need more
and more true disconnection and it will get harder to come by.
‘Holidays’ will have to cater for leisure (“I want to sit around in very
familiar environment and have everything done for me”) with
adventure (“Help me experience something authentic and
completely foreign”).
Sustainability will drive changes in pricing (things will be fairly
priced), access (places we can’t go any more), decision-making
(people will chose differently), and hopefully the way in which we
travel and how conscious we are of our impact. Perhaps more
people will decide to leave the Antarctic alone and experience it
via a documentary or with a pair of VR goggles.
TOMORROW’S
INNOVATIONS,
TODAY
DRINKING FOUNTAIN
MAP OF VENICE
ENCOURAGES
SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM
The community hopes
to combat plastic waste
by making it easy to refill
bottles.
“
A SOLAR-POWERED
TOURIST CATAMARAN
In addition to running on
While the tourist of 2022 was often the worst version of ourselves, clean energy, the catamaran
causes no engine noise or
travellers in 2043 will be idealists, less concerned with taking vibration.
home a stone from a beach and more focused on giving back – to
society, to local community, to wildlife. We want to be part of the ‘SHARKSKIN’
world we are visiting. TECHNOLOGY
We’ll go diving to not just enjoy the sights, but to restore a coral REDUCES AEROPLANE
EMISSIONS
reef. We’ll realise tourism can save, not destroy, the world, and
A thin film on the plane’s
return from our vacations as protectors and warriors of Planet
surfaces reduces drag while
Earth. adding very little weight.
Anne Skare Nielsen, Co-Founder of Universal Futurist, Author, Find these (and 10,000
and Keynote Speaker more) innovations in the
Springwise Innovation
Library.
From the iconic BBC Two’s Big Life Fix and Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, award-
winner of the 2020 IMechE (Institution of winning keynote speaker, author, and the
Mechanical Engineers) Alastair Graham- CEO of Fast Future. His prime expertise lies
Bryce “Imagineering” Award, Creative in helping clients understand and shape the
Technologist and Physical Prototyping emerging future. He has a particular
Expert Jude Pullen has worked for the NHS, interest in how we can create a very human
Dyson, LEGO, and a number of start-ups, future by putting people at the center of the
and his clients include IKEA, RS agenda.
Components, Children in Need, Bare Rohit is the co-author of Designing Your
Conductive, Raspberry Pi, Mayku. Future, lead editor and a contributing
With an unparalleled appetite to author for The Future of Business, Beyond
investigate each subject matter that Genuine Stupidity—Ensuring AI Serves
crosses his path, Jude often blends artistic Humanity, The Future Reinvented—
provocation with novel application of Reimagining Life, Society, and Business, A
technology in his work, and has won Very Human Future—Enriching Humanity in
various awards, for products, strategy - and a Digitized World, editor of Technology vs.
for communicating the power of creative Humanity, and co-editor and contributor for
engineering to global audiences. two forthcoming books: Unleashing Human
Jude typically begins his work using Potential—The Future of AI in Business, and
prototypes to help visualise ideas and 50:50—Scenarios for the Next 50 Years.
validate their performance, but increasingly fastfuture.com
he uses prototypes as a means to explore
the unknown or uncertainty in new
technologies and experiences.
He works with startups through to
international brands using such techniques
to help them design products and services
not just for people, but with people.
judepullen.com
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